My Gun's Bigger
by onwingsofleather
Summary: Korra is a bounty hunter in this Republic City AU. Mako is an officer, and find he's often dragged into Korra's hunts.
1. My Gun's Bigger (1)

"Korra," Mako growled as he pushed up his dark ray-bans.

"I caught him," Korra yelled back as she roughly hauled Juan up. Juan's pants were split open on the knees and the road had eaten some of his skin. His body flopped as Korra tossed him over his shoulder.

"You can't break and enter."

"I only broke him, and that's allowed in recovery."

"How'd you get into his apartment?" Mako asked scanning the shattered doorframe and door off its hinges.

"It was like that when I found it," Korra said. She walked past the irritated officer and snatching her cuffs slapped on them Juan's wrist.

"You are reckless."

"My record is flawless. I catch everyone, and if ya'll excuse me I have a person to drop off and a fee to collect."

"What if he'd been armed?"

"My gun's bigger. Besides, isn't that why I have you?"

"I'm not your personal body guard. I'm a police officer."

"How was I to know this wasn't the Juan you were looking for?" Korra cracked a grin.

"They have different last names."

"Small detail."

"You're gonna get hurt."

"You worried about me?"

"I'm worried I'll have to clean the mess up," Mako said trying to reattach the door so it resembled being closed.

"I'll make it up to with a cold beer after I get my money."

"Cold beer doesn't fix everything."

"It certainly helps."

Mako rolled his eyes and followed after Korra. He watched as she loaded Juan in the back of her jalopy. The door creaked shut and a piece of rust fell as flakes to the ground.

"Instead of beer, you should buy a new car."

"She's a beaut," Korra said and patted the one spot of the hood that didn't show rust. The two-tone white front didn't match the faded blue body.

"A death trap is more like it."

Korra couldn't hear his last comment as the engine coughed and sputtered but finally roared to life. She gunned it and a black cloud trailed her as she sped out of the lot.

"I could give you a ticket for your awful driving!" Mako screamed after her even though he knew she couldn't hear him.

He shook his head and got into his own car shaking his head. She was working for Tenzin Bounds, and had been a pain in his ass for the last three weeks. She had messed with two of his investigations to get her bond, and today she had called saying she found a tip on his recent case. He'd bit, and ended up having to taze the suspect. Now she was the collecting the money on him.

He looked down at the case folder in his cruiser. He was working on a string of burglaries. They were hitting up fast food joints at closing time. He smiled hoping to see her tonight at Kwong's Cuisine.


	2. Why Republic City? (2)

"Gotta a new one, yet?" Korra asked as she slapped her body ticket on the desk. It proved she had captured and returned Juan to the Republic City Police. It also meant she was getting paid for recovering Tenzin's bond.

Jinora looked at her with bored eyes. She hated that she had to work in the office during the summer. She'd rather being reading or at the new museum opening. A low growl escaped from her throat as her younger sister Ikki cartwheeled in from the back room. She held several manila folders in her mouth that she should be filing.

"Ohhh, I got one for you," Ikki squealed. She righted self and with flushed cheeks jumped in her spot holding the now slightly damp folder.

"Robber, murderer?" Korra asked thinking about the bounty. Her stomach tightened also thinking about the risk.

"Even better!"

Both Jinora and Korra stared with raised eyebrows.

"A streaker!"

Jinora rolled her eyes, and Korra let out a chuckle.

"What's it worth?" Korra asked.

"His bond was $5,000."

Korra shrugged indifferently. It should be a quick $500. She nodded a quick thanks as Jinora handed her a check for $1,500, and grabbing the folder from Ikki quickly existed the bond office.

The warm afternoon sun smacked her in the face, and she felt beads of perspiration dribble down her neck. Why had she moved to Republic City again? The summers were awful. She tugged on her shirt to allow a breeze to cool off her midriff. She gave a one-finger salute to the driver passing by letting out a catcall. Why again had she moved to Republic City?

She missed her car. It was coughing black smoke, and wanting to avoid another ticket, she had dropped it off at the mechanics. Seeing a sign for a frosty beer plastered in a bar's window she realized how dry her throat was, and decided this would be a good spot to review the FTA file. The cold smack of air conditioning was welcoming, and she let out a relieved shy.

The bar was pretty empty, and had a musty smell. She straddled a stool, nodded towards the bar tender, and flipped the file open. She knew the man staring back at her with black beady eyes. It was the hotdog man. The flipping hotdog man, Oyo. She'd get her butt chewed out for bringing him in by the locals. Even worse, she'd lose one of her favorite eating spots. The food was cheap, and always hot. She nibbled on her thumb until her beer arrived, and then gulped it down. Fortunately she knew his schedule, and slapping money on the counter she braced herself for the sting of the heat.

She sat on a bench in the shade. Sweat clung to her, making her extra cranky. Why had she moved to Republic City again? She watched as Oyo methodically and carefully closed up the shop. He clicked the latch, and started to push his cart. Korra quickly got up and followed him towards his shop door. Why let the food sit out in the sun and rot? If she let him get it away safely, then maybe she could still be a customer. She snorted, or not.

The walk was short as she watched him rolled it in a building that had seen better days. The paint was chipping, the roof had few spots bandaged up with two-by-fours, and patchy overgrowth decorated the otherwise rocked-over bleak driveway.

She cleared her throat catching Oyo by surprise. He wiped around with mace at the ready.

"Whoa, Whoa. Oyo, you know me."

He squinted his eyes, and he sneered, "Chili-cheese dog with all the toppings and extra cheese."

She smiled. See, maybe she could reason with him.

"Whatdya want?" He asked without lowering the spray.

"You failed to appear at your court date, and I am here to help you reschedule it."

"Blow it up your dress."

"I don't have a dress. This will only take a few minutes."

"Fuck off lady," he said and darted to the back of the garage towards a rickety door.

Shit. Another runner.

Korra rounded around the garage and pulled up short. Oyo was no were to be seen. There were a few houses, but he wouldn't have had time to make it to one of them, and he if had she would have heard the door. The backfire of car caught her attention, and turning she saw Oyo in a rusted out car that may have been red in a former life.

Shit. She hadn't seen the car. She kicked at the stones in the driveway, and walked around to the front of the garage. In his haste, Oyo had left the garage unlocked and his cart unguarded.

Korra smiled. She'd wait.

Korra looked at her watch. Thirty minutes had past. She hated waiting. It was so boring, and she didn't have any food. Her stomach growled reminding her she had skipped lunch to grab Oyo. Her eyes fell on the cart. Would her miss one bag of chips? No, she knew better.

Korra looked at her watch. Thirty-five minutes had passed. She figured he wouldn't miss one bag of chips as she tore open a package and stuffed a chip in mouth. She was halfway through a can of soda and when she heard a car pull up and then feet crunching on the gravel outside.

She wiped her mouth on her shirt and pulled out her stun gun. Oyo rounded the corner followed by a large bear of a man who had a head and beard of thick red curly hair. His big blue eyes were hidden slightly by his big bushy eyebrows.

Oyo stopped short when he saw the chips package discarded on the ground. His eyes darted up and his breath caught has Korra leaped on him from the corner of the garage.

He let out a whine as he smacked on to the ground. Korra clambered to cuff him but found her self lifted off the ground. She swung wildly in the air.

"No, little girl, that's naughty," the red haired man scolded. His lip curled into a smile and showed a few blackened teeth.

Korra squinted in revulsion. "This is a legal matter. Do not interfere. I just need to help reschedule."

Korra saw lights dance as the man shook her. Her legs and arm had turned to slight jelly and her head snapped back and forth.

The man hissed, "Don't tell me what to do little girl."

"She ate my chips!" Oyo screamed.

"And a soda," Korra said trying to clear her head. Why had she moved to Republic City again?

"You bitch!"

Dammit. Now she couldn't go to his cart for lunch anymore.

"I intend to pay for the items. Just put me down and I'll get the money."

"I don't think so little girl," the bearded man said and gave her another shake.

Korra's face pinched in anger. "I've had enough of the 'little girl' bit," she said, and extending her hand up let her stun go on the brute.

The men fell to the ground, and his grasp weakened on Korra. She hit the ground hard, but quickly righted herself and turned to Oyo. He quickly backed up and started to run.

Korra cursed and sprang to her feet. She ignored the screaming pain from hitting the cement and dove for Oyo. They landed hard and thrashed around on the ground. Korra finally straddled him and slapped cups on his wrists.

The groans from the garage got her attention, and she turned to the see the big guy coming to. She turned and saw the car they had come in. Her eyes flicked over to Oyo. He'd likely have driven.

Oyo sat cursing and promising to sue her.

Might as well add sexual harassment to the list, Korra thought. She felt down Oyo's pants until she reached a metal bulge in his pants.

"Hey! Those are my keys."

Korra grunted as she dug them out. She grimaced as she felt other objects in his pocket that she'd rather not know about.

"That's my car!" Oyo protested as Korra pushed him into the back seat.

"Yes, good job. Those are all correct."

Korra cranked the car over and gunned it out of the lot. She didn't want to show up at the police station in the borrowed car. She doubted she could get her way out of grand theft auto with Oyo beside her screaming about his stolen property. She found a motel parking two blocks from the station and pulled in.

"We're hoofing it," Korra said as she yanked Oyo from the back seat. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Her shirt was covered in dark spots from sweat, her hair was plastered to her face, and she had dirt smeared everywhere else. Fabulous, why had she moved to Republic City?

Oyo dragged his feet, and shouted obscenities at Korra. A few pedestrians turned and stared. Korra rolled her eyes and smiled politely back.

Oyo refused to walk and melted to the ground. Korra stomped her foot and let out a long breath.

Fine. Play it like that, she thought. She grabbed Oyo under his armpits and forced him up. His sticky body had a pungent odor that assaulted her senses. She almost put him back down, but remembered, $500. That was utilities and some food for the month. Shit. His smell was worth the $500.

She cursed when she heard the siren and the flash of red light as a cruiser pulled up along side. She was a block from the station. She didn't want to lose her bounty.

The seconds dragged on as the driver's door opened, and the officer took his sweet time emerging. His black hair was rumbled from the day, but his uniform was in pristine condition. He lifted his glasses slightly as he turned to face her, and Korra gulped. Of course, who else would it be? And of courses, he had to be so hot looking. Figures, he's got AC in the car. It's easy to look hot when you can sit in a temperate car all day instead of hauling in the miscreants of Republic City.

"Ma'am?" The office said with a hint of a smile tugging at his lips.

"What?" Crap, I don't need a ticket for disorderly conduct, Korra thought. "Yes, sir, I mean."

"Wow, sir and all, huh? There's been a report of a woman manhandling a person."

"Is there now?" Korra asked and took a step closer to the station.

"He's also apparently bound."

"That's very interesting officer." Another step towards the station.

"I sure hope you have papers."

"Of course I do, here in my bag –" She squirmed to try to show the folder was stuck in there and taking a few more steps towards the station.

"Officer she stole from me," Oyo bellowed.

The merriment on Mako's face vanished and was replaced with a hardline cop look. His eyes bore into Oyo and then Korra. "Is that right?"

Korra blew a piece of hair from eyes, and a drop of sweat fell into one of her eyes. She blinked at the stinging pain and the blinding sun, and desperately wanted to wipe her neck. Why had she moved to Republic City?

"Care to elaborate?" Mako asked turning his attention back to Korra.

"I offered to pay for the food, there just hasn't been time."

"Come again?"

"He fled, I got hungry, I ate food, and I offered to pay for it."

"Liar," Oyo shouted and started to squirm using the sweat as a way to loosen Korra's grip.

Korra grunted and darted after Oyo, she tackled him to the ground and grabbed at his wrist. She could see the dark boots of Officer Mako behind her and coming at her fast. She was close the station, maybe ten feet. Screw it, she thought, and grabbed Oyo and darted with him kicking towards the intake door.

She landed with a thud against the door and pressed Oyo hard into the flaking metal door. Despite the loud assault, she pounded on the door and reached for the buzzer.

A black glove blocked her hand. She looked up and saw Officer Mako. His glasses covered his face and his mouth was a tight line, but she figured he was smiling behind his cop face.

"Well?" She asked.

"Well, what?"

"Are you going to push it?"

Before Mako could answer the door shifted, and a chiseled square jaw jutted out. The door opened further and the rest of the face came into view. Two sparkling green eyes and large lopsided grin accompanied the chin.

"Hi there, Korra, bring in another one?" The office asked and reached out to hold Oyo as Korra readjusted her grip. His nametag read "Bolin".

"You betcha," she said ignoring Mako's raised eyebrow slightly visible above his glasses.

Korra pushed her hair back and picked at her dirtied nails. She loved her work, but hated this city. Why did she move here again?

She couldn't wait to hop into the shower and then flop on her sofa with a cold beverage. Sleep sounded so good.

"You know if he presses charges about the chips or pop, or the borrowed car, I'm gonna have to bring you in?"

Korra whirled around to see Mako standing behind her. His cop glasses were gone as was his uniform. She sucked in air to stop herself from drooling or to have her mouth hang open. He was wearing civilian clothes and a smirk.

"Don't you owe me a beer?" He asked breaking the long, awkward pause.

Korra's mind reeled. She flashed him a crocked smile. "Yes, I do."

"In an hour good?" He asked slowly.

Korra smirked, "Narook's?"

Mako shrugged. "They have cold beer."

Korra watched as he walked away, maybe this city wasn't so bad?


End file.
